Be it Bingo or Activism, Some Women Buck Political Contribution Trends

Nearly 600 women, all in a small section of southeastern Michigan, are breaking the glass piggy bank. Each one is donating hundreds of dollars to the state’s Democratic Party as often as 38 times this election cycle. Why?

B-I-N-G-O is its name-o.

Only three-tenths of a percent of voting-age Americans donate money to campaigns, and historically, men donate much larger sums than women. But a Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows that the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee is relying on women to raise a large part of its $7.7 million in campaign funds through political bingo. Pay up to $400 for a stack of bingo cards – which counts as a campaign contribution — and suddenly, you are part of the horse-race.

Nearly all the women playing political bingo report on federal forms as being “retired” or otherwise unemployed. Public records indicate many are 50 years old or older. And all of them made at least several donations of $200 or more to the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. Similar-sized donations to county-level Democratic parties usually followed.

(Below, see a chart of the ZIP codes with highest percentage of donations from females.)

A half-dozen bingo donors contacted either declined to comment or didn’t return messages. It is not known whether these donors are aware their bingo card purchases are helping fund Democratic political efforts.

Asked about the Michigan women’s donations, John Tramontana, the spokesman for the Michigan Democrats told the OpenSecrets Blog that “anyone who wants to make donations can,” and that federal documents speak for themselves.

Indeed they do. The Michigan Democratic State Central Committee has a history of amassing campaign money through bingo.

In the 2010 campaign cycle, 33 individuals all made at least 16 separate donations of $200 or more to the Michigan Democrats. Comparatively, during the 2006 and 2008 cycles combined, 35 people at least 16 separate contributions to the group, and 121 individuals donated 16 or more times to any federal-level political candidates or committee.

TRADITIONAL PATTERNS OF FEMALE DONATIONSAlthough a popular fund-raising tool in Michigan, more traditional forms of campaign bankrolling drive women’s uncharacteristically high rate of campaign contributions.

Eleven women in the 98260 ZIP code in Langley, Wash., pictured below, a town with a population of a little more than 1,000 people — account for 95 percent of the ZIP code’s overall donations to federal politics. The area, locals say, boasts a rich history of women’s political activism within the Evergreen state.

“In Washington, we are the first and only state to have a female governor,” said David Ammons, communications director for the Washington Secretary of State department, adding that there are a high percentage of women legislators in the state.

The state of Washington legalized women’s suffrage ten years before 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.

During this election cycle, however, women represent only a quarter of all itemized donations ($200 or more) to political parties, candidates and other entities. This gender disparity is reflected in the 111th Congress, where there are 96 female legislators compared to 439 men.

Income disparity may explain females’ donating patterns, said Ronnee Schreiber, San Diego State political science professor and author of the book Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics. With less money to spend, she said, women spread donations out, rather than making a single large donation.

Places such as New York City, which tops the list for highest gross dollar amount given by both sexes, generally breaks this norm — some women give in smaller bursts, but many also give at least $1,000.

“Women actually register to vote and vote more than men do,” Schreiber said. “Maybe if they don’t have money, that’s where they see their political influence coming in.”

A Center examination of federal records shows that women also favor Democrats and make donations in smaller amounts than men. This is true for cities in nearly every region of the nation, from coast to coast.

Seattle-based independent pollster Stewart Elway echoed the “partisan” divide between men and women, with ladies tending to lean left, but “it seems to be the Republican women who are getting all the attention this year,” he said.

“If you look through issues, they are going to be inclined to support education and community type issues,” Elway said, adding that “men are more likely to be concerned about taxes and deficits than women are.”

BENEFICIARIES OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY MAY VARY

So who does all this cash support?

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and House Democratic candidate Lois K. Herr of Pennsylvania, received more than half of their financial backing from women.

Further, women contribute most to political action committees that involve women-oriented political activism, reproductive rights, education and families. Wish List, a PAC with a mission of electing Republicans supportive of abortion rights, also appears on the list. While other abortion rights groups predictably make the list, more than 90 percent of Wish List’s donations come from women – a greater level than other abortion rights groups.

Committee

Total

From Men

From Women

From Other

Pct Male

Pct Female

Wish List

$127,213

$12,000

$114,963

$250

9.4

90.4

Women’s Political Committee

$156,925

$625

$140,050

$16,250

0.4

89.2

EMILY’s List

$6,239,963

$725,942

$5,385,383

$128,638

11.6

86.3

NARAL Pro-Choice America

$158,751

$17,100

$132,151

$9,500

10.8

83.2

Joint Action Cmte for Political Affairs

$274,131

$37,720

$217,961

$18,450

13.8

79.5

Planned Parenthood

$164,644

$47,200

$116,944

$500

28.7

71.0

World Alliance for Israel

$213,680

$48,340

$142,690

$22,650

22.6

66.8

National Education Association

$747,301

$235,563

$401,384

$110,354

31.5

53.7

Women Vote!

$542,041

$238,160

$286,106

$17,775

43.9

52.8

Family Research Council

$378,359

$176,010

$192,599

$9,750

46.5

50.9

As for the women of Michigan, donating to politics can have its own apolitical payoff.

This PAC is similar to the Michigan Democrats in that a majority of its spending goes to fund-raising events — the Michigan Democrats have spent more than $4 million on fund-raising — and both differ from other major regional Democratic PACs, in that fund-raising plays only a very minor role.

A review of the PACs expenditures reveals that the women who play bingo can win thousands of dollars.

Below is a chart of ZIP codes with more than 66 percent of women donating dollars:

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